|
?:reviewBody
|
-
On 24 August 2016, the discredited food alarmist known as Food Babe posted an image showing the ingredient list on a box of Cheez-It brand snack crackers, along with the claim that the product contains TBHQ, a toxic synthetic preservative created from butane: TBHQ, tertiary butylhydroquinone, is a synthetic antioxidant that is commonly used as a food preservative. Although TBHQ does contain a butyl moiety, this does not mean that the preservative is created from butane (which is commonly used as lighter fluid). In response to a similar claim made in 2007 about McDonald's Chicken McNuggets, the ScienceBlogs web site explained TBHQ's relationship to butane: While it's true that TBHQ has been banned in Japan, it is not toxic, as the FDA and the European Food Safety Authority both classify TBHQ as a safe food additive in the small amounts present in foods such as Cheez-It snack crackers. In response to the message posted by Food Babe, Cheez-It stated on their Facebook page that they have been testing natural alternatives to TBHQ: While synthetic preservatives may not be the healthiest of options, TBHQ is not created from butane, it is not toxic, nor is it been deemed by the FDA to be dangerous to consume in moderate quantities.
(en)
|
![[This page as RDF]](http://data.gesis.org/claimskg/static/rdf-icon.gif){kind=icon}